Is the National worth it for player collectors?

[banjar]

I just heard from a fellow Alomar collector who went to the National. He didn't end up finding anything for that PC. I have been thinking about attending one of these years, but that was disheartening to hear.

So I have a question for all the advanced player collectors here. Is it worth it to attend the National if you're only looking to add to your single-player PC?

 

[UMich92]

I wasn't able to attend this year but in prior years it's been quite hit and miss. My primary PCs are Alan Trammell and Jack Morris. I go with a goal of being able to pick up 1-2 cards from the DLP golden years of 2003-2005 and have been relatively successful. I also really enjoy digging through the bargain auto/gu bins for low-end Tigers.

 

[MrMet2.0]

I mean…wouldn’t it be worth it to attend at least once just for the experience?


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[finestkind]

I've always wanted to go just for the experience, and just maybe find something different for my collection. Based on what people were posting about the national on forums like Net54. I'll pass. The crowds would be too much for me.

 

[jmc855]

I d like to go ti see what its like in person and say I ve been, but I would expect little in additions to my Clemens PC,mostly because from what I hear everything is super high priced , and I m a cheapskate lol. I dont make a good reatil mark, so I m guessing i would pass most singles over. Its nice to fantasize about endless tables of bargain boxes to sift through tho.....

 

[UMich92]

Definitely go, if nothing more than the experience and to drool over all the museum pieces that Heritage, REA, and other auction houses bring to the show.

 

[mrmopar]

Depending on who and what you collect, I could see it being a bust. Lots of people traveling with limited space for stuff to sell. i'd be wanting to maximize my sales potentials by bringing what I felt would sell the best. Maybe you get some local guys who can cart in boxes of $0.25 and dollar bins and they would probably do OK.

I saw an autographed card display and it would have shut me down for the whole show. Binders and binders full of vintage signed cards. My utopia!

 

[nosterbor]

I have been to 4 of them 97, 98, 2000, 2002.and trying to find any cards for a player collector for a player in the 90's and 2000's FOR GET IT 99.7% VINTAGE A huge waste of time and money and I got tired of the snobbish sellers.
Alan Rosen AKA Mr. Mint Was the worse of the worse the most arrogant PR ICK you could meet! I will never go to another one.

 

[Dilferules]

I think it's like the Grand Canyon. Everybody should see the Grand Canyon once. Every collector should go to the National once. I went nearly 20 years ago and had a good time. It was mostly vintage but plenty of newer stuff...of course I have no idea what it would be like now. As an advanced player/team collector I'd say finding anything to add to the collection is going to be needle in a haystack territory. It was tough to find space to actually look in the "bargain boxes" back then and I'd imagine it'd be a lot tougher now since collecting is a bit more popular.

 

[jmc855]

I have been to 4 of them 97, 98, 2000, 2002.and trying to find any cards for a player collector for a player in the 90's and 2000's FOR GET IT 99.7% VINTAGE A huge waste of time and money and I got tired of the snobbish sellers.
Alan Rosen AKA Mr. Mint Was the worse of the worse the most arrogant PR ICK you could meet! I will never go to another one.

Ha! My regular/favorite old LCS till he closed was a regular supplier to "Mr Mint" of high grade vintage when Mr Mint came to the regional big shows here. I got to observe some of those interactions when Mr Mint would buy from him. Mr Mint was a total ego fest for himself, but I will say, he had cash, and paid it and he didnt argue with this guy. He saw the cards, knew the cards were top shelf, and peeled off the cash without questions. My acquaintenance did not like Mr MInt at all, but as he said, "all money is green, and I'll take his like anyone else's, just have to tolerate his nonsens elong enough to get through it" . He probably sold to Mr MInt for at least 15 years, maybe more. As I understand it, Mr. MInt had a regular group of folks in each area who he bought form, my acquaintenance was just one of many. The vintage guys are all about vintage, and thats just how it is.

 

[finestkind]

I have been to 4 of them 97, 98, 2000, 2002.and trying to find any cards for a player collector for a player in the 90's and 2000's FOR GET IT 99.7% VINTAGE A huge waste of time and money and I got tired of the snobbish sellers.
Alan Rosen AKA Mr. Mint Was the worse of the worse the most arrogant PR ICK you could meet! I will never go to another one.

You don't have to worry about Al Rosen being at the national. He died in 20013. I've seen his pissy mug right at the Shriners show in Wilmington Mass. show in the early 90's.

 

[WizardofOz1982]

If you collect a big star you'll find plenty of stuff. If you know were to look you can find stuff for even minor guys from the 90s. Just finding something wandering around though is rough.

 

[mrmopar]

I am going to assume most of the people at the National are selling year round, so finding anything that wasn't already picked over is rare. Making connections is probably the most valuable commodity you can have in any hobby. If you are the first name anyone thinks of when they come across a unique item for (INSERT OBSCURE PLAYER NAME HERE), then that can be a valuable use of your time to make those connections and get your name out there. I have not done that myself, other than in a few groups like this, but I am definitely on the downside stretch of my collecting career. now

 

[banjar]

Thanks for the info and opinions guys. I think I'll probably go at some point, but need to be pretty targeted about how I spend my time there.

 

[doniceage]

It definitely worth going. As mentioned above it all about making connections. If you were smart you would look up the list of sellers who are setting up and contact them ahead of time. Say I am looking for these and at least they would have the card saved and pulled for you ahead of time. Of course downside is how many people tell you to pull something and never get a follow up.

I do not know your friend but if you were looking for Alomars at that show I would think one would find something. Of course you have to go to each table and ask if they have that particular player. Trying to look at all the cases and search thru 3200 count boxes is hard. Also, to maximize time skip all the non dealer booth, those with vintage, non sports, as that will truly allow you to focus your time on finding the cards your looking for. Also, some tables are busy for hours you will need to be diligent in recording booths you been to and not. If you do nit you will miss so much if you just walk around without any system.

Go at least for your bucket list but have a game plan to be successful. You will see stuff and meet some cool people along the way. Just a scan of a collector I ran into many moons ago and I took some cool pics of cards I would never own. Just a few of thousands over the decades being at the Nationals.


Don

 

[banjar]

Thanks! That is great advice.

 

[theplasticman]

For me, I never found anything I needed for my Will Clark, Eddie Murray, or Darin Erstad PC. It was a strange feeling. I thought for sure there would be something... but all I really saw were a few 93 Finest Refractors and some PSA Murray rookies.

It was disappointing but I'd go again and this time to spend time with other collectors I've met here on the forums and the various FB groups I am a part of.

 

[CardBoredom]

For those that have attended the National and seen cards from your want list, how was the pricing? Is it somewhat fair or do vendors make you pay the "good luck finding another one in this giant room" tax?

 

[smapdi]

I collect Grady Sizemore and Frank Thomas, and a couple other dudes to a lesser extent. I attended the National in 2019 and 2023, both times in Chicago. I thought and hoped that I'd find some killer Frank Thomas cards. The only notable one I recall seeing was a Prizm Black and White Snakeskin parallel in 2019. I suppose Frank, long-retired and enshrined, hasn't been "hot" in a long time. Though his better cards sell very well, dealers aren't exactly loading up on his cards even for the biggest show of the year in his main team town. And Grady Sizemore? I think I may have seen one of his cards across both shows. However, both times I went with certain targets in mind and didn't spend a ton of time just digging. And who knows, maybe I just missed the Frank Thomas guy's table.

For the niche sets I collect, stuff like 2011 Museum editions and various low-numbered parallels, I never found a single card. In 2023 I was 2 years into supercollecting 2021 Topps Heritage but I don't think I saw more than a couple cards from the whole product and nothing I needed.

The National seems to be mainly for high-end cards at high-end prices. Not that there aren't literally tons of cards at all price points, I was very disappointed in not finding really anything for my regular collections. I'm sure part of it is the cost. Why bother bringing a few cases full of $1-5 cards? Unless you are one of those low-end bulk dealers and have ten whole tables full of $1-5 cards and sell them for big bulk discounts, basically acting as a restocking service for other dealers, it doesn't make financial sense for the price of a booth.

 

[jmc855]

I collect Grady Sizemore and Frank Thomas, and a couple other dudes to a lesser extent. I attended the National in 2019 and 2023, both times in Chicago. I thought and hoped that I'd find some killer Frank Thomas cards. The only notable one I recall seeing was a Prizm Black and White Snakeskin parallel in 2019. I suppose Frank, long-retired and enshrined, hasn't been "hot" in a long time. Though his better cards sell very well, dealers aren't exactly loading up on his cards even for the biggest show of the year in his main team town. And Grady Sizemore? I think I may have seen one of his cards across both shows. However, both times I went with certain targets in mind and didn't spend a ton of time just digging. And who knows, maybe I just missed the Frank Thomas guy's table.

For the niche sets I collect, stuff like 2011 Museum editions and various low-numbered parallels, I never found a single card. In 2023 I was 2 years into supercollecting 2021 Topps Heritage but I don't think I saw more than a couple cards from the whole product and nothing I needed.

The National seems to be mainly for high-end cards at high-end prices. Not that there aren't literally tons of cards at all price points, I was very disappointed in not finding really anything for my regular collections. I'm sure part of it is the cost. Why bother bringing a few cases full of $1-5 cards? Unless you are one of those low-end bulk dealers and have ten whole tables full of $1-5 cards and sell them for big bulk discounts, basically acting as a restocking service for other dealers, it doesn't make financial sense for the price of a booth.

This sounds like what I would expect if I went looking for Clemens. Aside from his auto on multi auto cards with Nolan or Maddux, and multi patch cards, I cant picture dealers choosing to load up boxes with clemens stuff, or take big boxes of inserts from 20 years ago simply because its not the hot item now and they are there to maximize profit. Scouring comc and fleabay seem to be the preferred avenues for player collectors I think.